As medical science has progressed, it has become increasingly important to provide non-human interactive formats for teaching patient care. Non-human interactive devices and systems can be used to teach the skills needed to successfully identify and treat various patient conditions without putting actual patients at risk. Such training devices and systems can be used by medical personnel and medical students to learn the techniques required for proper patient care. The training devices and systems can also be used by patients to learn the proper way to perform self-examinations.
As the use of non-human interactive training formats has increased, the need for materials that simulate natural human tissue has also increased. There have been earlier attempts to mimic characteristics of natural human tissues. For example, U.S. Patent Application Publication No. 2008/0076099 discloses human tissue phantoms and associated methods of manufacturing that utilize two-component silicone gels covered by a nylon fabric. Also, U.S. Pat. No. 5,805,665, U.S. Pat. No. 4,277,367, U.S. Pat. No. 5,902,748, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,675,035 each disclose various materials intended to simulate imaging properties of human tissue for various types of imaging techniques. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 6,945,783 discloses a breast examination training system with inflatable nodules that simulate tumors within the breast tissue. While these earlier attempts at mimicking aspects of natural human tissue have been adequate in some respects, they have been inadequate in many respects. Accordingly, there remains a need for materials that better mimic natural human tissue. In that regard, the training of medical personnel and patients is greatly enhanced through the use of realistic hands-on training with devices and systems, such as those of the present disclosure, that better mimic characteristics of natural human tissue than previous materials.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need for devices, systems, and methods appropriate for use in medical training that include materials that mimic natural human tissue.